There are a number of leaflets showing the B-52F bomber numbered
"70162" dropping 750 pound bombs. The original photo was taken during the Viet
Nam war. The front-line Iraqi divisions identified as targets of the B-52 leaflet are the
7th, 16th, 20th, 21st, 28th and 48th Infantry divisions. In general, two leaflets were
dropped on each division, one before and one after a bombing raid. Three B-52 bombers were
dedicated to this operation. They were assigned the mission of bombing after each leaflet
drop.
Major Sander’s Bomber Crew - 1960
Sanders standing in second row, far right.
In June, 2013, Terry W. Sanders told me that the B-52F on the leaflet was his
father’s aircraft in 1965 when he was in Guam flying Arc Light missions over Vietnam
and providing close air support for the 1st Cavalry Division in the Ia Drang Valley as a
member of the 9th Bomb Squadron, 7th Bomb Wing, originally stationed at Carswell Air Force
Base, Ft. Worth, Texas. The Leaflet B-52 photograph was taken at this time.
Major James C. Sanders - 1959
His father, Major James C. Sanders was the radar navigator, responsible for dropping
of the bombs. The Squadron returned to Carswell in December 1965 in time for the holidays.
The 9th Bomb Squadron was inactivated on 25 June 1968. Carswell AFB was recommended for
closure in 1991. The base was officially closed 30 Sept 1993. Lieutenant Colonel Sanders
retired from the Air Force in November, 1966.
General Schwarzkopf had served in Vietnam and remembered the effect of the
“Rolling Thunder" B-52 raids on the enemy. He wanted those B-52s over the
Iraqis, and he wanted to use PSYOP to frighten them and cause them to abandon their posts.
Schwarzkopf came up with the idea of announcing to a designated Iraqi that they would be
bombed on the following day. At first the Air Force was hesitant, but daily attacks on
Iraqi radar and anti-aircraft sites and American electronic jamming aircraft had made the
high-flying bombers reasonably safe from attack. Schwarzkopf wanted to announce a bombing
attack on one day and hit the Iraqis the next. He figured they would have 24 hours of
anticipation and worry. He would then drop a second leaflet that said something like
"We told you we would bomb you and we did. We are going to bomb you again" As
the leaflets were dropped, the Coalition's Voice of the Gulf radio station broadcast the
same message. The Iraqi front-line divisions stayed glued to their radio hoping that their
unit would not be designated as the next target.
Colonel Jeff Jones, commanding officer of the Army's 8th Psychological Task Force at
Fort Bragg, N.C., who directed U.S. PSYOP in the Gulf, says about the bomb-warning
broadcasts:
We would tell them that tomorrow morning we were going to drop on them the
biggest bomb we had. Then, exactly as promised we dropped a “Daisy Cutter”
(BLU-82) that looks like a small atom bomb detonating. The next time we said we were going
to drop another big one like that, the defections increased dramatically.
Dr. Kevin Wright mentions the B-52s of Desert storm in an article entitled
“Fairford’s B-52 Desert Storm Ops,” Aviation News, July 2016. Some
of his comments are:
General Norman Schwarzkopf, head of US Central Command insisted that Iraqi
Republican Guard forces should be hit extremely hard to degrade their fighting ability
prior to the start of the ground assault - and he believed USAF B-52s could be employed to
considerable effect to achieve this within the Kuwaiti Theater of Operations (KTO).
The Saudi Government was particularly sensitive to the likely media images of the
massive bomber based so close to Mecca. A compromise involved B-52Gs operating from the
Saudi base, but only after the air campaign had begun. Only the Jeddah-based B-52Gs of the
1708th Bomb Wing (Provisional) could strike targets anywhere in Iraq without air refueling
and during the air war these machines dropped half of the 72,289 munitions released by all
B-52s, demonstrating the importance of close proximity operations…Diego Garcia, in
the Indian Ocean, had been a B-52G base from the very first days of US mobilization in
August 1990, but the distances involved placed it at the limit of practicality. Moron AB
in Spain also was nominated early on and 24 B-52s, three KC-135s and 2,800 personnel would
soon deploy to the base as the 801st Bomb Wing.
RAF Fairford in the UK was was an obvious choice for the B-52G as not only did it
possess suitable airfield infrastructure to manage the heavyweight bomber but it was also
close to the RAF Welford weapons store…The 806th Bomb Wing (Provisional) was
activated on 5 February 1991 to manage Fairford B-52G ops…The 806th BW became
operational on 8 February with the first mission launched against strategic Iraqi
installations the following day. The 806th BW B-52 crews at Fairford faced targets that
were around 2,750 miles and seven or eight hours flying time away from their base.
Fairford-based aircraft dropped 3,008 bombs alone.
Missions mounted against Northern Iraq were managed by Joint Task Force (JTF) Proven
Force and built around the 7440 Composite Wing (Provisional) at
Incirlik AB in Turkey. JTF Proven Force mounted around 1,620 sorties, 98 of them by B-52Gs
from Moron and Fairford. Its main area of operations was north of the 35th parallel.
The US Army's 4th Psychological Operations Group sought USAF support for a
leafleting campaign to warn specific Iraqi frontline units that they were going to be
bombed…As a result, it was not unusual for whole units to desert, and 98% of Iraqi
POWs later said they had seen, or possessed, some of the total 29 million leaflets dropped
on them When the war was over, many POWs suggested that the B-52s had the greatest impact
on their morale. One prisoner claimed the Coalition bombing had been "the worst thing
he had ever experienced in combat" and went on to assert that the B-52s were most
devastating of all. Another Iraqi officer said he surrendered because of B-52 strikes.
Told that his unit was never hit by B-52s, he is quoted as stating "but I saw one
that had been attacked.”
There is some debate about the use of this type of leaflet. It certainly worked in
Vietnam. Truong Nhu Tang says in Viet Cong Memoir: An Inside Account of the Vietnam War
and Its Aftermath, Vantage Books, New York, 1986, that the B-52 strikes were
“undiluted psychological terror…nothing the guerrillas had to endure compared
with the stark terrorization of the B-52 bombardments.”
The leaflets were not used in Afghanistan and Iraq after the 9/11/2001 attacks
because military officials believed they sent the wrong message; one of indiscriminate
bombing and lack of care about civilian losses. One author said:
The B-52 was equally feared by Iraqi soldiers during the Gulf War. Consequently,
one of the most successful PSYOP leaflets of the war displayed a photo of a B-52 unloading
its deadly cargo, accompanied by text warning of continued B-52 strikes. Regrettably, many
observers concluded that the “B-52 leaflet” was a universally applicable leaflet
in PSYOP, forgetting that, although the Vietcong were terrified by B-52 strikes, they
rarely surrendered as a result.
USAF Major Jon Huss mentions the psychological damage of the B-52 bombing:
The decision to continue the B-52 attacks at night was made for psychological
reasons. The intent was to keep the target units awake and add fatigue to their cumulative
list of stressors. To this end, the B-52 proved a very effective weapon. One senior Iraqi
officer complained that he could hardly sleep more than two hours at a time and that the
constant pounding shattered his men’s nerves to a point that they nearly went mad.
Surprisingly, this effect was due more to the experience of living through an
attack, not the probability of being killed during one. That same Iraqi officer admitted
that the B-52 raids actually produced relatively light casualties in his unit. The strikes
could be felt and heard by units as far away as 40 kilometers. The B-52 was so universally
feared that in one instance a troop commander identified it as the sole reason he
surrendered his troops to advancing coalition forces. Reminded by an interrogator that his
position was never attacked by B-52s, he stated, “That is true, but I had seen one
that had been attacked.”
Newsweek magazine added in an article entitled “Secret Warriors” 16
June 1991:
The 4th PSYOP Group out of Bragg set up a special radio program to woo defectors. To
compete with BBC and other international broadcasts, the PSYOP team had to offer something
special. What the Voice of the Gulf began broadcasting, along with prayers from the Koran
and testimonials from well-treated Iraqi prisoners, was precise information on the units
to be bombed each day. Iraqi soldiers began tuning in. “It's a quick way to increase
your market share," said PSYOP commander Col. Layton Dunbar, with a smile. Almost
three quarters of the defectors coming over the border said the leaflets and broadcasts
influenced their decision to go AWOL.
C39
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"Desert Storm is coming to your area...flee immediately!"
B: In red: "Saddam's army intends using your city as a protective barrier to hide
behind. Saddam doesn't care about you or your family. The joint forces do not wish to hurt
innocent civilians, so take your belongings and head north to a safe place."
This is the only bomb warning leaflet not addressed to a military unit. It was coded
"MSR" which implies it was meant to flood Iraqi main supply routes with
refugees. 180,000 of the leaflets were disseminated during four missions, on three
consecutive days, from 16 to 18 February.
V39
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"Desert Storm is coming to your area...flee immediately!"
B: B&W: "Saddam's army intends using your city as a protective barrier to hide
behind. Saddam doesn't care about you or your family. The joint forces do not wish to hurt
innocent civilians, so take your belongings and head north to a safe place."
A black and white version believed to have been printed at sea by USN carriers.
C40
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"This is your first and last warning! The 7th Infantry Division will be bombed
tomorrow! Flee this location now!"
B: In blue: "The 7th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. The bombing will
be heavy. If you want to save yourself, leave your location and do not allow anyone to
stop you. Save yourself and head toward the Saudi border, where you will be welcomed as a
brother."
The 7th ID was on the Kuwait-Saudi border. It was destroyed on 24 Feb by the 1st
"Tiger" Brigade of the 2nd Armored Division, attached to the 1st Marine
Expeditionary Force. 620,000 leaflets were printed and some portion of that number was
dropped on 14 February.
C41
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"The 7th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. Leave this location now and save
yourselves."
B: In green: "We have already informed you of our promise to bomb the 7th Infantry
Division. We kept our promise and bombed them yesterday. BEWARE. We will repeat this
bombing tomorrow. Now the choice is yours. Either stay and face death, or accept the
invitation of the Joint Forces to protect your lives."
620,000 leaflets were printed, 60,000 were dropped on the 7th Infantry Division on 16
February.
C42
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"This is your first and last warning! The 16th Infantry Division will be bombed
tomorrow! Flee this location now!"
B: "In red: "The 16th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. The bombing
will be heavy. If you want to save yourself, leave your location and do not allow anyone
to stop you. Save yourself and head toward the Saudi border, where you will be welcomed as
a brother."
The 16th ID was on the Kuwait-Saudi border. It was smashed by Task Force Muthana of the
Joint Arab Command. 500,000 leaflets were printed and at least 480,000 were dropped.
C43
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"The 16th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. Leave this location now and save
yourselves."
B: In red: "We have already informed you of our promise to bomb the 16th Infantry
Division. We kept our promise and bombed them yesterday. BEWARE. We will repeat this
bombing tomorrow. Now the choice is yours. Either stay and face death, or accept the
invitation of the Joint Forces to protect
your lives."
This is the only leaflet to show the designation in Arabic numbers (16). 500,000
leaflets were printed, at least 480,000 dropped on the 16th Infantry Division.
Note: Colonel Noll’s evaluation states that leaflets depicting the B-52 were
generally influential to the Iraqi troops. However, this particular leaflet was a failure
because the Iraqis did not believe that the 16th infantry Division was in Kuwait.
Post-testing of the leaflet among Iraqi prisoners disclosed that they felt the leaflet was
not credible. In addition, the color red was a warning to Iraqis and many therefore
refused to pick up such a leaflet. Later the Coalition removed the red border from its
leaflets.
C44
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"This is your first and last warning! The 20th Infantry Division will be bombed
tomorrow! Flee this location now!"
B: "In red: "The 20th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. The bombing
will be heavy. If you want to save yourself, leave your location and do not allow anyone
to stop you. Save yourself and head toward the Saudi border, where you will be welcomed as
a brother."
The 20th ID was part of the Iraqi III Corps in southeastern Kuwait. It was destroyed by
Saudi armored forces. 500,000 leaflets were ordered, there is no record of the number
disseminated.
C45
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"Yesterday we demonstrated the power of the multinational forces. Once again, we
offer you survivors a chance to live."
B: "In red: Two days ago we told you we would bomb the 20th Infantry Division.
Yesterday we did. Tomorrow, the 20th Infantry Division will be bombed again.
Your choice is to stay and die or accept the joint forces invitation to live."
980,000 leaflets were ordered. Various Coalition documents indicate that 1,080,000 were
dropped, so it is obvious that someone is wrong. We have no way of telling how accurate
any of the numbers are. We just print them as we find them in various declassified
documents.
C46
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"This is your first and last warning! The 21st Infantry Division will be bombed
tomorrow! Flee this location now!"
B: "In red: "The 20th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. The bombing
will be heavy. If you want to save yourself, leave your location and do not allow anyone
to stop you. Save yourself and head toward the Saudi border. If you choose to stay, you
choose death."
The 21st ID was part of the Iraqi IV Corps in southwestern Kuwait. It was destroyed by
Tiger Brigade of the 2nd Armored Division. This is the only B-52 leaflet aimed at two
divisions. Of course, this is an error. As a result, this leaflet was never dropped. There
was also an "after" leaflet to the 21st I.D. which was not dropped. 500,000
copies of each leaflet were prepared, then burnt when the error was
discovered.
C48
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"This is your first and last warning! The 28th Infantry Division will be bombed
tomorrow! Flee this location now!"
B: "In blue: "The 28th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. The bombing
will be heavy. If you want to save yourself, leave your location and do not allow anyone
to stop you. Save yourself and head toward the Saudi border, where you will be welcomed as
a brother."
The 28th ID was part of the Iraqi VII Corps in the neutral zone between Iraqi and Saudi
Arabia. By coincidence, it was smashed by units of the U.S. VII Corps. 620,000 leaflets
were requested. 120,000 leaflets were dropped on 18 February.
C49
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W. "The 28th Infantry Division will be bombed
tomorrow. Leave this location now and save yourselves."
B: In green: "We have already informed you of our promise to bomb the 28th
Infantry Division. We kept our promise and bombed them yesterday. BEWARE. We will repeat
this bombing tomorrow. Now the choice is yours. Either stay and face death, or accept the
invitation of the Joint Forces to protect your lives."
620,000 leaflets were requested. 60,000 leaflets were dropped on the remainder of the
28th Infantry Division on 18 February.
C50
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"This is your first and last warning! The 48th Infantry Division will be bombed
tomorrow! Flee this location now!"
B: "In blue: "The 48th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. The bombing
will be heavy. If you want to save yourself, leave your location and do not allow anyone
to stop you. Save yourself and head toward the Saudi border, where you will be welcomed as
a brother."
The 48th ID was in the neutral zone between Iraqi and Saudi Arabia. It was destroyed by
the U. S. 1st Armored Division. 620,000 leaflets were ordered. 500,000 leaflets were
dropped on 22 February.
C51
F: B-52 bomber drops bombs. B&W.
"The 48th Infantry Division will be bombed tomorrow. Leave this location now and save
yourselves."
B: In green: "We have already informed you of our promise to bomb the 48th
Infantry Division. We kept our promise and bombed them yesterday. BEWARE. We will repeat
this bombing tomorrow. Now the choice is yours. Either stay and face death, or accept the
invitation of the Joint Forces to protect your lives."
620,000 leaflets were requested, 60,000 were dropped on the remainder of the 48th
Infantry Division on 24 February.
Miles Hoffman of Columbus, Georgia, an American civilian financial analyst and
investor for the Kuwaiti Government Social Security system, was shot in the arm and taken
hostage by two teenage Iraqi soldiers on 5 September 1990 while attempting to evade
capture. He was allowed to call his mother, Ann Hoffman, in early November. Saddam Hussein
apparently believed allowing the “human shields” to call home would make him
appear to be a more civilized dictator. However, Hoffman’s mother said that her
son’s call was immediately disconnected when she asked about his wound.
Hoffman was freed on 9 November 1990 and transported with a planeload of Germans
after ex-Chancellor Willy Brandt bargained for the humanitarian release. Hoffman was one
of the first American hostages released and immediately admitted to the U.S. military
hospital in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Hoffman feels that his reports to U.S. Intelligence on the Iraq political situation
might have helped motivate them to prepare the B-52 leaflets. He was interviewed by a
number of military officers in Wiesbaden and told them:
They needed to understand that Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq through fear. As such,
what the Air Force should do is:
1. Send in the B-52’s with leaflets that said “tomorrow we’re going
to bomb the shit out of you.”
2. Send in the B-52s and bomb the shit out of them.
3. Send in the B-52’s with leaflets that said “How’d you like that?
There’s more to come.”
The point I was making is that it wasn’t the bombing that was crucial but
rather the FEAR of the bombing. Saddam ruled by fear so they would understand fear.
I told Miles that the same technique was used in WWII and Vietnam and he seemed
amused:
Herb, I now feel "kind of stupid" to think of it as "my
plan," but I do so with a smile on my face. At least I was smart enough to think of
it during my debriefing. Apparently General Norman Schwarzkopf and I were thinking very
much alike.
The Autumn 2015 issue of Perspectives, The Journal of the Psychological
Operations Association, in an article entitled “The Effectiveness of Bomb Warning
Messaging” printed a message from Colonel Jack Summe to USAF PSYOP expert Chuck Doig
about this operation:
The credibility of the overall PSYOP effort was improved by coordinating leaflet
operations with B-52 bombing along front-line enemy positions. Leaflets were dropped
telling the enemy force that bombing would begin against a specific unit on a specific day
and encouraging them to desert or defect. This was followed by the bombing and another
leaflet drop predicting the next strike. Post-tests showed that the campaign was highly
credible among Iraqi soldiers and leaders and produced large numbers of desertions and
defections. Iraqi General Officers that were interviewed after the conclusion of the war
stated emphatically that the B-52 campaign was extremely effective and cemented the
credibility of our PYSOP effort with Iraqi soldiers.
C52
F: Bomb with pointed nose. Red with no border.
"Flee and live or stay and die."
B: "You have suffered horrendous losses as a result of us using the most powerful
conventional bomb in this war. It has more explosive power than 20 Scud
missiles. Beware! You will soon be bombed again. Kuwait will be free of
aggression. Join your brothers in the south. We will treat you with love and
respect. Leave this position. It will not protect you."
Newsweek magazine added in “Secret Warriors” 16 June 1991:
In the early-morning hours of 7 February, Maj. Skip Davenport's MC-130E Combat
Talon cargo plane lumbered off the runway. In its belly sat the massive bomb. Behind Major
Davenport, a companion plane lifted off, carrying another BLU-82
The day before, their target area had been rained with leaflets warning the
soldiers below: “Tomorrow if you don't surrender we're going to drop on you the
largest conventional weapon in the world.” The explosion of a Daisy Cutter looks like
an atomic bomb detonating. In the southwest corner of Kuwait that night, an enormous
mushroom cloud flared into the dark. Sound travels for miles in the barren desert, and
soon Iraqi radio nets along the border crackled with traffic. Col. Jesse Johnson,
Schwarzkopf's special-operations commander, cabled a message back to the U.S. Special
Operations Command headquarters in Florida: “We're not too sure how you say 'Jesus
Christ' in Iraqi.”
The next day a Combat Talon swept over the bomb site for another leaflet drop with
a follow-up message: “You have just been hit with the largest conventional bomb in
the world. More are on the way.” The day after the BLU-82 attack, an Iraqi battalion
commander and his staff raced across the border to surrender. Among the defectors was the
commander's intelligence officer, clutching maps of the minefields along the Kuwait
border. The intelligence bonanza enabled Central Command officers to pick out the gaps and
weak spots in the mine defenses. When the ground war began Marine and allied forces
breached them within hours.
"Daisy Cutter" BLU-82
This leaflet depicts and was used with the BLU-82 bomb. This is a 15,000 lb. bomb, the
size of a Volkswagen automobile sometimes called the “Daisy Cutter” because of
its ability to clear a helicopter landing space in a heavily forested jungle. This
leaflet, along with Blu-82 bombs, was dropped on four occasions between 6 February and 16
February 1991.
BLU-82 dropped in Vietnam to make a landing zone
In Vietnam the BLU-82 bomb was called “Command Vault.” The
picture above might be the first BLU-82 dropped in Vietnam to make a landing zone. An
article by the St. Petersburg Times of 28 December 1971 says in part:
Americans are blasting Indochina with a bomb that kills most living things within a
square mile in order to create an instant helicopter landing pad.
The Final Report to Congress Conduct of the Persian Gulf War says in regard to
the BLU-82:
The detonation of several 15,000-pound bombs, which were dropped from MC-130
special operations planes, also seemed to have a psychological effect on Iraqi troops.
Senior Iraqi officer enemy prisoners of war frequently commented that their troops were
also terrified of B-52s, and could clearly see and hear their strikes, even when miles
away.
Daisy Cutter being deployed from MC-130
It is dropped by being pulled out of the back of the C180 by a drogue parachute as it
climbs. The giant bomb was not only a weapon; it was a powerful PSYOP tool. When General
Schwarzkopf suggested using it on Iraqi minefields, Colonel George Gray, Commander of the
1st Special Operations Wing said, “Everybody within three miles of the drop will be
bleeding from every orifice of his body.” General Calvin Waller is reported to have
immediately said with a big smile, “Oh God, how many do we have?” 18 were
shipped from Hill AFB in Utah. Eleven were eventually dropped on Iraqi positions. We know
that at least one BLU-82 bomb was dropped on 7 February by Major Skip Davenport. That
indicates that at least one leaflet drop took place on 8 February.
2,000,000 leaflets were printed. The Blu-82 “Daisy Cutter” leaflets were
dropped by the 8th SOS on at least four occasions between 6 February and 16 February 1991.
We don’t have the exact dates for all four missions, but we do know from numerous
other documents that one million leaflets were ordered on 4 February and delivered on 5
February 1991. We know that 500,000 leaflets were dropped on 21 February 1991 along with a
similar number of safe conduct passes, and it also seems that one million leaflets were
still in the inventory by the end of the war. The problem here is that we don’t have
all the data from all the Army and Air Force units. We just have enough data to get
confused.
At the same time these bombs were dropped the Coalition radio warned the Iraqis,
“Brave Iraqi soldiers. Tonight some of you are going to die. Your families will miss
you. May Allah rest your souls.”
BLU-82 Explosion at Night
BLU-82 Desert Explosion
A British Special Air Service (SAS) Commando team
on a secret reconnaissance mission 110 miles away saw the signature mushroom cloud and
radioed back to HQ, “Sir, the blokes have just nuked Kuwait.” An Iraqi battalion
immediately crossed the lines along with its intelligence officer with maps of all the
mine fields in their sector. 2,000,000 leaflets were printed. There is no data on dates of
dissemination. At the same time these bombs were dropped the Coalition radio warned the
Iraqis, "Brave Iraqi soldiers. Tonight some of you are going to die. Your families
will miss you. May Allah rest your souls."
V52
F: Bomb with pointed nose. Red with thick red border.
"Flee and live or stay and die."
B: "You have suffered horrendous losses..." Same as C52
1,000,000 leaflets were ordered. There is no data on dissemination.
The "Bunker Buster" bombs were effective.
C53
F: Three Iraqis surrender from smoking building. B&W.
B: The USA respects the Geneva Convention. If you quit fighting we assure the
following; Humane treatment, food and water, medical care, and shelter. Return home after
the war is over."
C53 through C55 all appear in two varieties with very minor differences. The easiest
way to identify C53 is the rifle at the feet of a surrendering Iraqi soldier. 96,000
leaflets were first printed and later orders raised the total to 1,776,000. However, it
appears that only about one million were actually disseminated. The internal name of this
leaflet is “MOUT.” This means “Military Operations on Urbanized
Terrain,” and was used either because the Iraqis are surrendering from a building, or
because it was meant to be used in cities and villages. This leaflet was designed by 4th
PSYOP Group artist Tim Wallace.
The Marines were issued 14 leaflet artillery rounds and 308,000 copies of this
leaflet identified as “MOUT 55-01-1.”
A brief word about the surrender of Iraqi prisoners as told by Adel Al-Yousifi in Evidence
II – a Study of the Damage to Kuwait from the Iraqi Invasion of 1990-1991. He
says:
Of all those involved in the war, Iraq suffered the highest death rate. Official
and unofficial statistics reveal 158,000 deaths. Other surveys estimate 200,000 deaths.
182,000 soldiers were taken prisoner or reported missing in action. 70,000 prisoners
returned to Iraq when released. The rest refused to return, preferring to remain in Saudi
Arabia. They were granted asylum there.
We should point out that prisoner-of-war defection is a common occurrence. After the
Korean War, 21 Americans chose to remain with the Communists and 47,000 Chinese and North
Korean POWs remained in the Free World. However, few people realize that as many as
112,000 Iraqis may have decided to flee their homeland under Saddam ’s rule.
V53
F: Three Iraqis surrender from smoking building. B&W.
B: The USA respects the Geneva Convention. If you quit fighting we assure the
following; Humane treatment, food and water, medical care, and shelter. Return home after
the war is over."
In leaflet V53 there is no rifle at foot of the surrendering Iraqi soldier. No totals
are known for this item and it is possible that the production figures are included in the
data given for C53 above.
C54
F: Iraqi throw down rifle magazine, shakes hand of U.S. soldier, B&W
B: "Follow these procedures to cease resistance. Pull your ammunition magazine
from your weapon. Put your weapon on your left shoulder and aim the barrel at the ground.
Raise your hands over your head and walk slowly. Wave with a white cloth or raise this
leaflet to show you are willing to surrender. All Allied soldiers know this initiative
shows that you are willing to surrender."
In leaflet C54 the barrel of the Iraqi soldier's weapon is white and all the tanks fly
American flags. 270,000 leaflets were ordered. There is no data on dissemination. This
leaflet was designed by 4th PSYOP Group artist Tim Wallace.
V54
F: Iraqi throw down rifle magazine, shakes hand of U.S. soldier, B&W.
B: "Follow these procedures to cease resistance..." Same as C54
In leaflet V54 the barrel of Iraqi soldier’s rifle is black and all the tanks fly
Saudi Arabian flags. Political correctness? There is no data on dissemination.
C55
F: Iraqi soldier is surrounded by U.S. armor (only US flags depicted). B&W.
"Cease resistance. You are surrounded."
B: "Follow these procedures..." Same as C54.
Leaflet C55 depicts a lone Iraqi soldier surrounded by tank. On each barrel or tank
flank there is an American flag. 135,000 leaflets were initially printed. There must have
been additional printings because 275,000 leaflets are listed as being dropped. The code
name for this leaflet is “Surrounded.” This leaflet was designed by 4th PSYOP
Group artist Tim Wallace.
V55
F: Iraqi soldier is surrounded by Coalition armor. B&W.
"Cease resistance. You are surrounded."
B: "Follow these procedures..." Same as C54.
This is an early version of this leaflet that depicts French, Kuwaiti and Saudi flags
on the barrels or flanks of the tanks. 100,000 were printed and later destroyed by
Coalition forces.
C56
F: Giant cannon with Coalition flags aimed at Iraqi. B&W.
"The VII Corps of the Multi-national forces is heading in your direction. Your
fellow soldiers along the front either surrendered or have been killed. Your turn will be
next."
B: "Follow these procedures..." Text same as C54.
Two hundred 155mm leaflet artillery shells were taken to the Gulf. Nine were actually
fired at the enemy. The leaflets inside these shells have been identified as C21, C56 and
C58. I had a warrant officer friend in EOD who actually opened some of the shells and gave
me the leaflets rolled inside. He told me:
The leaflets were downloaded from the shells at the King Khalid Military City
(KKMC)Theater Storage Facility Area 4 in January 1992. There were between 100 and 200
engineering prototype 155mm projectiles stored in two areas from two different units. They
were unmarked but bore a metal parts number that indicated they were experimental and were
produced in November 1990. A small quantity of the projectiles, perhaps 12-20, had been
prepared for fire, loaded with leaflets, expulsion charges installed, but not fused. The
leaflets were in four round bundles, separated by pusher plates, spacers, and enclosed in
two semi-circular steel sleeves. I saw some evidence on the projectiles that they had been
hastily converted from VX binary chemical shells. They were on the pallet in a horizontal
rather than the normal upright configuration.
200,000 of the leaflets were printed. The Air Force claims to have dropped 311,000 and
the artillery had 100,000 at their disposal, so once again we obviously do not have
complete data on printing. This leaflet was designed by 4th PSYOP Group artist Tim
Wallace.
20 artillery shells and 100,000 of these leaflets identified as “Big Gun
7-2” were at logistics Base Alpha.
C57
F: Stealth aircraft climbs away from exploding Iraqi soldier. B&W.
B: U.S. Marine Corps seal "United States Naval Infantry," and text.
"Follow these procedures to cease resistance. Pull your ammunition magazine from
your weapon. Put your weapon on your left shoulder and aim the barrel at the ground. Raise
your hands over your head and walk slowly. Wave with a white cloth or raise this leaflet
to show you are willing to surrender. All Allied soldiers know this initiative shows that
you are willing to surrender."
This leaflet was known as “Strategic Air – Marines” by the Coalition.
Internal codes were “3F” and “14-08-01.” This Marine leaflet was
dropped extensively and is known in numerous minor variations where the Marine emblem on
the back is printed anywhere from the extreme left to the extreme right. The original
request was for 360,000 leaflets on 24 January 1991. There was a second printing of
1,860,000, 1,320,000 were dropped during the war and another 900.000 were still in
inventory at the end of the war. There is a variation that Johnson calls V57. The
back of the leaflet is printed in red. I have placed it in a section I call “CIA
Leaflets.” This leaflet was designed by 4th PSYOP Group artist Tim Wallace. He was
asked to show how with “stealth” The Iraqis would never see the aircraft coming.
C58
F: Iraqi tankers surrender to U.S. armor. B&W.
B: "Follow these instructions if you want to survive. Raise your barrel to maximum
elevation. Face your barrel to the rear. Leave all the tank hatches open. Put your hands
over your head and approach slowly. Wave a white cloth as a signal that you want to
survive and live in peace, or wave this leaflet. All armies of the Multi-national forces
understand that this pass shows your honorable commitment to peace."
This leaflet was called “Tank Surrender” by the Coalition. Internal codes for
it were “3G” and “13L-03-6.” The original request was for 600,000
leaflets on 25 January 1991. However, 100,000 were sent to Logistics Base Alpha for the
artillery. 60,000 leaflets were sent for placement in M29 bombs on 21 February 1991 and
another 60,000 on 24 February 1991. 430,000 leaflets were in the inventory at the end of
the war so all the leaflets were obviously not disseminated. This leaflet was designed by
4th PSYOP Group artist Tim Wallace. He told me:
In the original rough draft I had the tank barrel down...an individual made me
change it to the up position which I believe was incorrect.
100,000 leaflets identified as “Tank Surrender 13L-03-6” and 20 artillery
shells were at Logistics Base Alpha.
Whenever I see this image of an Iraqi tanker surrendering holding a white flag I
think of a comment in the book The Rape of Kuwait, Jean P. Sasson, Knightsbridge
Publishing Company, New York, 1991. The author quotes a Kuwaiti freedom fighter named
Nizar who pretended to be friendly with some Iraqi tank crew. Sasson says:
He wandered up to an Iraqi on a tank, and started a friendly conversation. The Iraqi
felt at ease and asked Nizar if he could give him some information. The Iraqi leaned
toward Nizar and whispered, “Tell me, who is this man called Bush?” Nizar filled
him in on world events. Then the soldier said, “When is this Bush coming?” Nizar
replied “Soon.” The soldier nodded and continued, “Look what I have”
as he pointed under his seat. He had a white cloth, folded up and ready to surrender. The
Iraqi soldier laughed and said, “When this Bush man comes, I will wave my arms in the
air and then go to America.”
C59
F: Iraqi jets with insignia of Iran. Color.
"Is the Iranian Air Force growing?"
B: "Saddam has given back the Shatt al Arab to Iran, and now he gives them your
Air Force. There is something better you can do. Go to Saudi Arabia. Call us on your radio
and announce that you wish to join your Arab brothers. Approach us alone in your aircraft,
or in single file. Lower your landing wheels, turn on your landing lights, disarm your
weapons, turn off your fire control systems and continue flying at a speed no greater than
250 to 300 nautical miles. You will receive humane treatment, and after the crisis is
over, you will be permitted to return to your homeland and rebuild it."
This leaflet shows Iraqi fighter aircraft with their own national symbol crossed out
and the insignia of Iran, their hated enemy, in its place. Once the Coalition had air
superiority, Iraqi aircraft fled to Iran in an attempt to preserve their air force. This
was worrisome for the Coalition because it was unknown what kind of arrangement Saddam had
made with the Mullahs. It was possible that with the aid of the Ayatollahs, one day all of
the impounded aircraft could take off in a concentrated counterattack against the
Coalition forces. In fact, those aircraft never reappeared during the length of the war. I
do not know if Iran ever returned them to Iraq after the war or kept them as booty.
1,000,000 leaflets were initially requested. There is no data on dissemination.
Note: Colonel Noll’s evaluation states that this was the worst leaflet prepared
by the Coalition. The Iraqi troops did not recognize the Iranian flag and did not
understand the meaning of the “X” over the insignia.
MIG aircraft buried in the Iraqi desert
It should be noted that there is a possibility that not all the Iraqi aircraft were
flown to Iran. Years later, during the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, dozens of
aircraft were found buried in the Iraqi desert. It has been reported that Coalition forces
discovered 30 to 40 aircraft at al Taqqadum in July 2003 including MiG-25 and
Su-25 ground attack jets. They were buried more than 10 feet beneath the sand and
covered with camouflage netting.
A 1996 Air Force report written by Richard G. Davis
and entitled “Decisive Force: Strategic Bombing in the Gulf War” says about the
Iraqi aircraft:
As early as 21 January 1991, Iraq had sent twenty-five large aircraft, including
fourteen looted from Kuwait, to Iran, ostensibly its mortal enemy. Iraq’s neutral
neighbor, Jordan, apparently refused to accept them…By 28 January 1991, nearly eighty
aircraft rested on Iranian airfields. More than forty additional aircraft arrived by 10
February 1991. The 148 interned Iraqi aircraft included twenty four Mirage F-1
interceptors, twenty-four Sukhoi SU-24 Fencer strike aircraft, and forty Sukhoi Su-22
Fitter-H fighter bombers.
C60
F: Three Iraqi soldiers listen to radio. B&W.
"Please turn your radio to medium wave 1134 KHZ daily."
B: Identical to front.
An Iraqi officer tunes to the Coalition radio station. 700,000 of these leaflets were
printed. There is no data on dissemination.
